I had to share this with you all.

To me, this was a great *find* a great mystery, a great experience!

I went to the beach a few days ago and the ocean was a carpet of blue - like someone had spilled millions of blue flowers into the sea.

Running back to my flat for the camera (I was so sure I wouldn’t make it back in time) - but I was lucky *they* were still there!

So, what are these?



A type of jellyfish?

I couldn’t find anything on an internet search that looked even similar.



I'm sorry to say all of them died within a very short time of reaching the shore.

I thought I'd sob my heart out to see them all dead.

Very Strange Stuff.

The lido (beach) owners said they'd never seen such a thing before.

(Lido Romantica in Giardini Naxos Sicily)

Thanks!

peace

Oh they are so cute!

My guess is they are some sort of juvenile anemones or something. My original thought was that maybe they were little bluebottle (man o war) jellyfish but they are the wrong shape and have too many tenticles.

Is anyone here a marine biologist??? (Seinfeld flashback)

Is anyone here a marine biologist??? (Seinfeld flashback)

LOL

I'll tell ya, it's times like these I want to be a millionaire!

I'd of called every marine biologist on the list, helicopter a good one right to the beach and had as many of these little cuties *saved*...

To heck with Whales! Get these lil blue babies to a fishie-incubator!

That is - if they are babies!

Just too adorable.

I wish the picture of the *blue flowered beach* had come out (the beach *flowering* with these) but, sorry to say they didn't show.

Wow those are pretty and tiny When I see them I think of "Finding Nemo" for some reason and his lack of being about to say anemone right...hehe Very cool find!

Very nice... You should have gotten a picture of the 'blue carpet'..

Wait... what do you mean "to heck with whales?"


Aaaanyway, yes, they aren't "true" jellyfish. But they are cnidarians, which are the basic "jellyfish group." There are many colonial cnidarians, including the Man of War, which is typically identified as a "jellyfish," and is also a hydrozoan.

I just say cnidarian. But I'm cool like that.

Did you know all cnidarians are radially symmetrical individuals?

I've seen these before, they're some sort of jellyfish. Every summer my family stays on the beach in Destin, Florida and quite often it will rain. Within a day or two of the storm these things show up all over the shore.